Euro 12 Goalkeeper Watch....

So I chose my top 3 on Twitter last night, and I just wanted to give my insight.

Iker Casillas- Big game player. Has the experience and the athleticism to win any game. Already has a Euro and a World Cup to his credit. Has the fortunate pleasure of playing behind the world's best team.

Joe Hart- Playing in England is no easy task. Playing for Manchester City and leading them to the EPL title is even harder. He has proved he has got the mentality and pedigree to win big games. The only question is can he do the same for England. I think he can.

Manuel Neuer- a tough pick over Buffon and Cech, however he has a certain confidence about him that makes him seem older. Germans are very mechanical and methodic and Neuer fits this bill. The same questions come up with him as they do Hart. Can his International game live up to his club performances. Once again, I believe it can.

Others to watch: Buffon, and let's be honest, I'm writing this after the displays of Cech and Szczesny, so I don't have to include them now.

Enjoy!!

The Mental Save

I know it's been a few weeks, and I apologize to all those out there who have come to depend on this blog like you do oxygen.  With a recent engagement and a rigorous May MLS schedule both behind me, I now have more time to  update you on my thoughts. 

Today I want to focus on how to deal with the emotional swings of being a goalkeeper.  From game to game, my mood is dictated not only by the result of the team, but also by my peformance.  My mind tells me to focus on the mistakes I've made and downplay all the important contributions I made during a game.  For some reason, my brain is telling me not to get ahead of myself and become over confident.

I'm here to tell you that I know my natural tendency is wrong, and even now, I still make an effort to correct my thinking.  Every athlete goes through periods of struggle and for the goalkeeper, it is the mental challenge that makes the difference between being good and being great. It is very important to be positive and focused on the good things you've done rather than beating yourself up over and over again for human error.  

From the emails that I've received, I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.  So the question remains - how do you become a mentally stronger goalkeeper??? 

First off, we must look at the logic behind beating ourselves up.  From a psychological standpoint, regressing and thinking about past errors is the worst thing one can do.  This has never been proven to improve perormance in any field.  The problem comes from our history of acheiving great things after we were so hard on ourselves.  We think that because it has worked in the past, it has to work again.  We get into a cycle of thinking that we must be hard on ourselves to acheive more and the higher levels we progress to, the harder we become on ourselves. 

I think we can all see where this is going.  At some point, we either become the greatest person the history of the world, or we beat ourselves up for not acheiving that incredible title.  Whether it's work, relationships, or the sport we love, our ego guides us down this never-ending path to perfection. It never ends because in our minds, we are never perfect.

I could sit here and think about all the mistakes I've made. I should have done better here, or never guessed there. What was I thinking on this goal? Why didn't I do that instead?  Yes folks, it all hits you like a ton of bricks.  After replaying these "mistakes", feelings of guilt come over you - you believe you've let your team down, you've let the fans down, you've let your family down....blah blah blah.  

You must be tired of how this makes you feel - I know I was.  I went to work paranoid that people saw me as a failure. I thought that if I saw myself as letting the team down, then everyone else must as well. I justified my positioning or thought pattern with field players, read into the drills we did at practice and even came home thinking that I would be better off retiring to some soccer club kicking balls at younger goalkeepers. (I might yell at them as well....haha) 

 Stop!!!  Stop!!!! Stop!!! 

This will get you nowhere. 

 Here are some points to get help your confidence back: 

 1) Work hard - go to practice and give everything. Pay attention to any mistake you make. Also make sure not to get too down if you do make a mistake.  Keep plugging away.  Work harder than the next guy.

 2) Look at the evidence - yes, there have been some mistakes, but there have also been some great plays. Focus on what you've been doing right and take a more educational and proactive approach to things you can work on.  In my case, I want to focus the next part of the season on crosses and kicking the ball from the ground. 

 3) Visualize -  watch videos of other goalkeepers and yourself making great plays.  Close your eyes and rehearse what is going to happen in the next game.  Get into a more positive mindset and think about your long term goals.  Focus on what you want, rather than focus on what you don't want.  That's a huge difference. 

 4) Relax - understand that everything in life is going to be OK, no matter what happens. You can only perform your best when your muscles are relaxed and the mind is focused on the process. 

 5) Enjoy - there is not a better feeling in the world than sacrificing for a group of people you care about, and having these sacrifices end up in success.  The group wins, which in turn, makes me win.  Any individual award pales in comparison to winning a championship as a team.  I have tasted winning the whole thing once and it is my goal to capture that feeling again before I retire. 

So there you have it.  When you are in a mental rut, you must understand that it is you putting yourself there.  YOU control your thoughts, the images you visualize as well as the actions you take.  YOU have the power to be the best.  Take a look at the formula above and play it through if you are feeling down. 

Remember it will take time to use this sequence effectively.  There is a ton of literature on all these topics and how to improve your mental side.  If you are still left with questions, please go ahead and email me.

Finally, If all else fails, just remember something my father told me, "There are a lot of people out there that would like to have your problems".   

Thanks Dad, Happy Father's Day!

 May the posts be with you..... 

 Joe Cannon 
MVLAGK@gmail.com